Concert to benefit Fitchburg man in fire

FITCHBURG -- A benefit concert has been organized for the family of a Fitchburg man who was burned saving his family from a fire in June and is now in a coma and facing several serious health issues.

Herpao Yang, a father of 10, suffered a heart attack on Sunday and had a stroke later in the week. He is now in Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital being kept alive by three life-support machines.

Lia "Lavender" Yang, who graduated from Fitchburg High School this year, is a singer with Wil Darcangelo and the Tribe. She is the youngest of Herpao Yang's 10 children. Like four of her siblings, she is blind, and they depend on their father as the sole breadwinner for the family.

"Any time she needs a crying break, we all gather around her," said Darcangelo. On Thursday, they went on a hike, and Darcangelo said she needed no less than 15 group hugs to keep going.

The Tribe is a close-knit group comprised of Darcangelo and young people in the area. They refer to themselves as a family, and Darcangelo said they have suffered some serious losses over the past six months. Two of the kids have died and Lia Yang was traumatized by her family's house fire, often waking up convinced another blaze has started.

"We all love her so much it may as well have been all of us," Darcangelo said.

Herpao Yang was a villager during the Vietnam war.

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Darcangelo said he saved a lot of lives by helping other villagers get out of combat zones, and he and his wife are believed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, the notorious herbicide used by America and its allies to melt away the jungle to expose enemy forces. He is also diabetic and during the June fire he suffered burns to his head, neck, arms and legs as he removed propane tanks from the blaze.

Darcangelo said the situation is dire. He only has a 35 percent chance of surviving, and if he does survive, he won't be able to work again.

After the fire, community members donated $700 to the Yang Family, and Darcangelo said they need more help. He is organizing a Tribe concert this coming Friday at the group's storefront at 454 Main St. The concert starts at 6 p.m. and admission is pay-what-you-can donations.

He said there will also be auction items. All proceeds go directly to the Yang family. Donations can also be made to the Good-Wil Initiative, which is Workers' Credit Union account 216957, with a memo saying it is for the Yang Family.

"We couldn't do nothing," said Darcangelo. He said in times of trouble, people do what they already know how to do to help. "That's the best we can do right now."

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